On
our first night in St. Augustine we went in
search of an outdoor restaurant.
We came across Scarlett
O'Hara's Bar and Restaurant located in
historic downtown. They allowed dogs at their
outdoor table and we enjoyed a nice dinner. We
had some barbecue entrees but they also serve
hamburgers and salads. As we were having dinner,
a large thunderstorm passed through, but we all
stayed dried thanks to the covered
porch.

Later
that evening, when the storm had passed, we all
hopped into a St.
Augustine Transfer Co. Carriage for a guided
ride around town. Four-legged friends of the
canine variety are welcome in the carriages upon
the driver's discretion. However, dogs need
to stay on the floor of the carriage and not on the seats. We had a very informative
tour of the historic town complete with history
about the local buildings and even some ghost
stories. This same company also provides Ghost
Walking Tours.

The
next day we walked around town. Overnight we had
stayed at the local dog-friendly La Quinta Inn,
which is in pretty good proximity to the
historic downtown. It is about a 15 or so minute
walk but we opted to drive the short distance so
we could save our energy for walking around
town. This photo shows a pedestrian only ally
which was nice. Many of the streets around
downtown, however, had pretty narrow sidewalks.

Just
across the street from downtown and next to the
waterfront is Castillo
de San Marcos National Monument. While dogs
are not allowed inside the fort, Toby and I had
a nice walk on the 25 acres of park grounds. This historic fort was built from 1672 to 1695 and it served primarily as the Spanish Empire post which guarded St. Augustine. Its secondary purpose was to protect the sea route for Spanish treasure ships.

After
our walk around town we stopped at the Florida
Cracker Cafe. Toby was welcome at the
outdoor seats. The first table we sat at had a
little line of ants which seemed to bother our
dog. We moved to another table. Toby was happy
and we all had an enjoyable lunch. They
served seafood, salads, chicken, steak, pasta and
sandwiches. They had some tempting desserts but
I went next door to the Savannah Sweets shop
which had a ton of delicious chocolate! Dogs are
not allowed inside so my husband waited outside
with Toby.

On
our way back to the hotel we decided to check
out the infamous "Fountain
of Youth". Not knowing if dogs were
allowed, we had already decided to take turns
going inside this attraction. We were happy to
find out that the Fountain of Youth does allow
pets, as long as they are leashed and
well-behaved. This photo shows the entrance on
the right and a snack bar on the left.

Tradition has it that The Fountain of Youth is the exact spot where the Spanish Explorer Ponce de Leon landed on April 2, 1513. He met the Timucuan Indians who at the time had an unusally long life span that averaged about 90 years. The Spanish at the time had a much shorter life span average. The water that the Indians drank became known as the "fountain of youth". Of course, the Indians longer life span could have had something to do with their healthy seafood diet and active lifestyle. Today this park offers exhibits of early Timucuan Indians and Sixteenth Century Spaniards.

At the park you can stroll along the gardens, explore excavations, view exhibits, presentations and a planetarium. Well-behaved leashed pets are welcome both outside and inside the buildings.

This
is the planetarium. In the beginning of the
presentation, they darken the room and then
have a simulation with lights and noise of what
is was like for the explorers to come to America
via ship during a thunderstorm. If your pooch
does not like loud thunderstorm noises (or is
afraid of the dark), we recommend skipping this
part.

In the Spring House, both people and pets can take a sip of the famous "Fountain of Youth" water. A guide will hand out samples of the water in little paper cups. The water
had a very strong mineral taste. We let Toby
have a little sip and he did not seem to mind
the taste. Click
here to continue reading Part 7.

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